


Change the World

by PhantomFlutist



Series: "The Road" and other unbelievable things [2]
Category: Super Junior
Genre: Alternate Universe - Zombies, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2012-07-05
Updated: 2012-07-05
Packaged: 2018-02-26 05:10:51
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 10,385
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2639318
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/PhantomFlutist/pseuds/PhantomFlutist
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Siwon is a new University graduate, just beginning his career in business and hoping to follow in his father's footsteps. He goes to work, goes to church on Sundays, and when his responsibilities have been taken care of, he spends time with his family and friends. But a disaster taking the form of his father leads Siwon into a new life; one where he kills to protect himself and begins to question everything he ever knew.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Change the World

**Author's Note:**

> Prequel to "The Road". Please enjoy!

“Do you understand your mission, Sungmin?”

“Yes, Sir!” He snaps into a smart salute, his whole body going stiff with formality.

 

Sungmin flies into Incheon, his eyes stoically watching the teeming life inside the airport and along the city streets. He rents a car and drives to Seoul, where he finds a hotel for the night and settles in for a long meditation.

The next morning, he heads south towards Cheongju, where his mission will begin.

 

Siwon has lived all his life in Seoul. His father is a successful businessman, a Christian, and a man Siwon looks up to as the sort of person he wants to be someday. Currently, Siwon is a new University graduate, just beginning his career in business and hoping to follow in his father's footsteps. He goes to work, goes to church on Sundays, and when his responsibilities have been taken care of, he spends time with his family and friends. Siwon is the perfect son.

It's family game night—something his mother instilled on them—and Siwon's father has just come home from work, slipping his shoes off at the door and stepping in to receive a kiss from his wife and a hug from his son when suddenly he collapses in Siwon's arms, breathing heavily.

“Father?” Siwon asks worriedly, easily supporting his father's limp form as he tries to get him to respond.

“Lay him on the sofa, Siwon,” his mother suggests, already reaching for the phone. “I'll call the ambulance.”

Siwon does as his mother says, admiring the way she is always calm even in the worst of situations. When he gets his father situated, however, he can tell that something is not right. His skin is turning a sickly greenish color and seeming to sag off his body, as though his muscles are rapidly degenerating. A distressed sound from his mother makes Siwon look up from the horrific sight to take in her face, scrunched up in frustration with the phone still pressed to her ear.

“There's a busy signal.” Finally she hangs up the phone, going to put on her shoes. “We'll have to take him to the hospital ourselves.”

“Mother,” Siwon calls, as his father groans and shifts on the sofa, “Mother, I think you should come look at father.”

She sighs at him, but comes in to inspect her husband. There is a stench coming off him now like rotting flesh. He is little more than skin and bones. “What?” She seems at a loss for words. “It's only been a few minutes. How could this have happened?”

“I don't know, Mother. But I think—” There is another groan from his father, this one louder than the last, and he begins to get up. “I think we should go.” Siwon gently pushes her in the direction of the door, but she fights him.

“Go where, Siwon? Why would we leave your father here?” She pulls away and goes back to her husband. “We need to get you to a hospital, Dear. The doctors will know what to do.” She takes his hand, and he lifts hers as he's done a thousand times before, except instead of kissing it, he bites it off. She screams, terror and pain written across her face, and Siwon tries to take her away from the monster his father has become, but suddenly the man is impossibly strong and he pulls her in, his teeth sinking into her throat.

“Mother,” Siwon chokes, as her eyes go blank and he knows that there will be no saving her. In a panic, he goes to the kitchen, trying to ignore the disgusting squelching sounds of flesh being bitten and chewed, reaching for his mother's knife block. He'd bought it for her for Christmas during his last year of high school. She had declared it her favorite thing in the entire kitchen and took such perfect care of it that it still looked brand new.

Meat cleaver in hand, Siwon goes back into the living room, kicks the monster's back, and sends it reeling to the floor. With a knee between its shoulder blades, Siwon hacks once at the back of its rotting neck and blood splatters everywhere, on his hands and face and clothes. The head severs and rolls several feet across the floor. He doesn't look at it.

There is a picture on the mantelpiece, of his family on their last vacation. His mother is smiling, squeezed tightly between her husband and her son, and their faces are all red with sunburn from spending the day at the beach. That was over a year ago, but Siwon picks up the photograph in its mahogany frame and clutches it tightly to his chest as he goes to his bedroom to pack his things.

When he comes back out wearing clean clothes, a duffel bag slung over one shoulder and the photo still in his hand, he can't help but look into the living room. He regrets it immediately, as the first thing he sees is his mother's half-eaten body, and it is all he can do not to throw up. His eyes move farther into the room and spot the meat cleaver, covered in blackish-green blood and lying next to the rotted corpse of what used to be his father. He does throw up then, falling to his knees and heaving onto his mother's spotless hall carpet.

How had this happened? How had his life gone from perfect and comfortable to horrific and terrifying in the space of just a few minutes? He manages to stand up again, and something in his heart tells him to go get the knife. Against his better judgment, he picks it up, takes it to the kitchen to rinse the blade, and then puts on its special protective case and slips it into his bag.

Looking around the kitchen, Siwon realizes that he never wants to come back here. Not when both of his parents are dead and the house will be filled with horrific memories for the rest of his life.

When he drives away in his father's car, their quiet suburban house is already beginning to burn.

 

Sungmin strolls casually from the crowded main street in Cheongju to a small, dingy alleyway, where he turns a corner and knocks sharply on a sturdy wooden door. A voice comes through the intercom on his left, and he responds with a few quick words in Russian. The door is opened for him and he steps in, ignoring the ominous bang as it closes again behind him.

He smirks as he looks around the small room, the walls lined with decorative weapons that have no real use, and then approaches the man standing at a counter in the far corner. “I believe my order has been arranged already.”

A package is pulled from beneath the counter, and Sungmin opens it to ensure that everything is in order. He picks up one of two Russian Makarov PM pistols and begins to disassemble it. When he's satisfied that all is in order he reassembles it and does the same to the other. Then the ammunition is counted and the package wrapped once more. He doesn't acknowledge the shopkeeper as he leaves.

 

With nowhere else to go, Siwon drives to Hangeng's apartment. Hangeng is an exchange student, come from China to get his graduate degree in traditional dance at Seoul National University. Siwon had met him as a student ambassador during his senior year and they'd become friends. Siwon helped Hangeng with his Korean, and in exchange Hangeng had taught Siwon Chinese. Hangeng said sometimes that Siwon was the only thing that kept him from being homesick.

His duffel bag in one hand, Siwon knocks on Hangeng's door. He's been to Hangeng's apartment dozens of times, has come over to hang out at least once a week practically since they met. Hangeng had told him that he was welcome anytime and didn't need to knock, but Siwon still keeps to that one bit of politeness, even if all other formalities have long since stopped being used between them.

Hangeng opens the door and beams at him. He's dressed in sweatpants and a T-shirt, and there is a towel around his neck that he uses to wipe sweat from his forehead. He's clearly been dancing, evidenced by his heavy breathing and the way he carries himself, slightly straighter and lighter than any other time. “Siwon!” he cries happily, pulling the younger man into a hug. “What are you doing here?”

Siwon returns the hug weakly with one arm, and Hangeng pulls back and seems to really take him in for the first time. “Siwon,” he asks, “Is something wrong?”

Siwon hadn't realized until just now how weary and upset he is, and the shock seems to set itself in his bones and refuse to let go. He sobs softly into Hangeng's shirt as he's pulled back against the older man's chest, held tightly and protectively. “Ge, my parents,” he thinks he mumbles through the tears, but he can't be sure of anything anymore.

Next thing Siwon knows he's sitting on Hangeng's sofa with a cup of tea in his hands, and he's explaining in a shaky voice what happened to his parents. At first Hangeng just shakes his head like he can't believe it, but he knows Siwon wouldn't lie to him, especially not about something like this, and finally all he can do is wrap Siwon in his arms and cry with him.

Several cups of tea and a lot of tears later, they're still not sure what to do now.

 

It's not until later that night that they think to turn on the news. What they see shocks them, and Siwon starts shaking again. Images, one after another, of people turning into...those things—zombies?--and attacking others are playing nonstop on nearly every station they turn to. Siwon wonders how he could have missed this happening on the streets of Seoul, even on the short drive from his house to Hangeng's apartment.

“Ge, we need to leave.” He doesn't know what urges him to move, but suddenly everything in him is screaming for them to get out.

“Where are we going to go, Siwon?” Hangeng questions, but Siwon only shakes his head at him and demands that he pack a bag.

Hangeng takes his time gathering clothes, food, and blankets, and Siwon starts pacing nervously back and forth across the living room, biting on his thumbnails. “There are millions of people in Seoul, Ge. That's a lot of potential zombies, and if it's anything like the movies, there will be more,” he insists, his voice tense and a pitch or two higher than normal.

Hangeng's eyes are shining with just a bit of concealed amusement as he emerges with bags in his hands and blankets slung over his arm. “I didn't take you for the type to watch horror movies, Siwon,” he teases, and against all odds Siwon finds himself relaxing, just a little, because Hangeng-ge is here, and how could anything go wrong with Hangeng by his side?

“I'm not,” he admits, shrugging. “Heechul-hyung made me watch with him.” His eyes widen in sudden remembrance. “We have to go get Hyung!”

Hangeng sets his things down to put steady hands on Siwon's shoulders. “It'll be alright, Siwon. We'll go find him and he'll be fine and we'll all go have a little vacation somewhere, and when we come back everything will be back to normal.”

Siwon believes him, because he doesn't want to believe the other option: that no matter where they go or how far they run, the world is changing irreversibly and nothing will ever be normal again. So what if that makes him naïve? He'd rather be naïve than admit that there's nothing that will make the world right now. He has Hangeng-ge, and soon they'll have Heechul-hyung, and he thinks that maybe as long as the three of them are together everything will be alright anyway. A fool's hope, maybe, but one that he needs to keep him sane.

 

“He's not answering,” Hangeng says, pressing the redial button on his cell phone again. He shakes his head as it rings a few times and then goes to voice-mail.

Siwon's hands grip tight on the steering wheel and he stares resolutely out the windshield into the dark. “He's in the shower, or working on a manuscript,” he tells Hangeng, trying to reassure himself more than anything.

Hangeng nods and murmurs agreement, and Siwon can tell that he's not terribly worried. He hasn't seen the horrors like Siwon has, and none of this seems real to him yet. It's all just a nightmare, or a joke by the press, or some crazy Korean political scam. Siwon knows how Hangeng thinks, that he doesn't really understand Koreans despite having lived among them for more than a year.

Siwon swerves around a body in the road and Hangeng jerks in his seat, having barely seen the mutilated carcass but still being shocked by it. To Siwon, it's just another piece of evidence that this reality is true, and he has to fight down bile at the thought. If seeing corpses no longer shocks him, how long will it take before he's completely desensitized to death as a whole? Will he kill without a thought, someday?

They pull up in front of Heechul's apartment building and hop out, locking the car behind them. Siwon turns to Hangeng, who is holding a sword. He blinks. “Where did you get that?”

Hangeng glances at it as he leads them into the building. “I use it for Martial arts. It's sharp, so I figured it could be of some use.”

“I knew that, but why didn't I see it before?” Siwon questions, wondering if he's gone blind. They stop in front of the elevator and press the up button. Heechul lives on the fifth floor.

“It was under the blankets. I didn't mean to hide it from you, I was just carrying a lot.” He looks sheepish, and Siwon manages to dredge up a smile for him.

“It's alright, Ge. I'm not angry, just surprised. It was a good idea.” He thinks about the butcher knife in his bag in the car. Why didn't he think to bring it in?

The elevator hasn't come, and they look up at the numbers. It's stuck on the top floor and not moving. They decide to take the stairs, wanting to get Heechul as soon as possible and get out of here. Seoul is rapidly turning into a more and more dangerous place.

Upstairs, they knock on Heechul's door and get no response, so Hangeng tries the knob, and it opens under his fingers. The apartment is clean, untouched, and quiet, but even so they enter warily. “Heechul-hyung?” Siwon calls, looking around in worry. They check the office, but Heechul is not in there working on his latest manhwa, nor is he in the bedroom.

“Heechul?” Hangeng looks into the kitchen, and notices two things that are very out of place. First, there is a plate of chocolate chip cookies on the island counter, which Heechul stopped eating a month ago when he started noticing flab on his stomach. Second, next to the plate lies a handgun. “Siwon, I think you should come here,” Hangeng yells, and then he wanders over to the counter, just staring. There's a note beneath the gun.

“Ge? Did you find him?” Siwon comes up behind him and tries to look over his shoulder, but they're too close in height for him to see properly.

“He's not here, Siwon.” Hangeng picks up the note, though he's already read it at least half a dozen times since he walked in. It's not very long, but very much like Heechul.

“ _I'm fine. Don't look for me, Idiots, just get yourselves out._

 

_Heechul_

 

_P.S. There's more ammo in my sock drawer.”_

 

Sungmin watches the chaos outside his hotel window with satisfaction in his eyes. Things are going exactly according to plan, and it's almost time for him to begin his own part. Picking up his backpack from the bed, he leaves the hotel.

Finding people to save isn't hard. It's been long enough since the infection started that death and general chaos are around almost every street corner. He drives less than a block before he finds a prime candidate for rescue and pulls over. A young, slightly overweight man is doing his best to run from a pack of infected, but it has clearly been a while and he's getting tired. He won't last much longer. Sungmin takes out his gun and fires eight precise shots into the pack, and they all fall dead. He drops the cartridge from the pistol and slips another one into place as he nods towards his car. The other man gets in gratefully, still trying to catch his breath, and Sungmin slips back into the driver's seat and revs the engine.

“I'm Sungmin, by the way,” he introduces with a saccharine smile. “What's your name?”

“Shindong,” the man replies. “Thanks for saving me.”

“No problem. But what do you say we get out of the city?” So they head off together, and Shindong has no idea what's in store for him.

 

They try calling the airport, and they're given a recorded message informing them that there are no flights going in or out. They eat Heechul's cookies while they try to make arrangements, realize they're only left with one option, and then pack up any nonperishable food that he has in his pantry and head back down to the car. Through the glass doors in the lobby they can see shapes moving around their car, and they're quick to ascertain that those are definitely not _people_.

Hangeng slips out the door, sword already unsheathed, and silently comes up behind the nearest zombie and slices its head off with deadly precision. Siwon has seen Hangeng's martial arts demonstrations before, knows how skilled he is with a blade, and follows him out carefully, being sure to stay out of the way even as he pulls the pistol from his sweatshirt pocket and turns off the safety.

Siwon has never used a gun before, but he knows the basic mechanics of it, and he aims at a zombie and pulls the trigger. Its head explodes in a fountain of blood and decaying brain matter, and he flinches but aims at another anyway.

By the time he gets the second one in the head—which takes three shots because that first one was really just luck—Hangeng has already taken down another four with his sword. They stand there panting, safe for the moment, and Siwon pulls Hangeng into a shaky hug. “We're alright, Ge,” he murmurs. “We did it.”

“Yeah we did, Siwon,” Hangeng replies, and for the first time Siwon can see the dullness in his eyes that Siwon is sure was already present in his own: that knowledge that you've killed to protect yourself, and that your world is changing irrevocably.

They get in the car and drive south, and if they can't let go of each other's hand for the first several minutes of the trip, well, no one could blame them for wanting comfort right now.

 

Sungmin and Shindong make it to the suburbs of Daejeon before Shindong realizes that anything is amiss. “Where are we going?” he asks worriedly. “I thought we were going to stay away from the cities.”

“We are,” Sungmin insists with a smile. “We won't go farther than the suburbs. I'm just looking for more people to save.” He keeps driving, ignoring Shindong's tense anxiety. When they've nearly reached the city proper, Sungmin finally pulls over. “Stay in the car,” he orders, and then he's outside with a gun in his hand, aiming over the top of the vehicle. Three shots, and then he's helping someone pick himself up off the ground.

“I'm Sungmin.” His trademark smile is flashed, and the man stares at him for a moment and then grunts.

“Kibum.”

That's all they hear out of his mouth for the next hundred miles, as they leave Daejeon and start heading south again.

 

It takes longer than they'd like to get out of Seoul. There are abandoned cars everywhere, and chaos reigns. They don't see a lot of people who are alive, but they see more than enough zombies to convince them that they should leave the city—if they hadn't already been convinced. It's getting harder and harder for them to hide their fear, but they're trying to be strong for each other. At some point Hangeng's hand ends up on Siwon's knee and stays there, and Siwon is not complaining. The reminder that Hangeng-ge is beside him helps Siwon keep it together.

It's almost four A.M., and they've only barely left the city and its suburbs behind them. The sun will be rising soon, and Siwon has given up hoping that the light of day will chase this hellish nightmare away. Hangeng sits tense in the passenger seat, watching the shoulder of the road for danger and occasionally swearing softly in Chinese, but his hand is still gentle on Siwon's knee.

 

The sun is just peeking over the horizon when they stop for fuel about twenty miles from Cheongju. They're lucky they found a station before getting to the city. After the horrors of Seoul, they want to avoid anymore highly populated areas.

After filling the tank, they slip into the station to use the restroom and pick up some bottled water. They're filling a backpack with bottles when a voice behind them yells, “Halt! Who goes there?” They turn around, their hands raising in surrender...and burst out laughing.

The man standing in front of them is shorter, with long, light brown hair pulled back into a ponytail. He's so pretty he could almost pass for a girl, if his tight-fitting jeans didn't give him away—not that Siwon is looking. The reason for their laughter is the weapon he holds in his hands: a cheap, bright-pink plastic water gun. He looks like he's trying to be threatening, but the only way Siwon can describe his expression is 'scolding.' Siwon thinks that this man would do very well as someone's mother.

“You laugh now!” he scowls, “But you won't be laughing when you get hot sauce to the face!”

This only makes Hangeng (who had nearly gotten control of his giggles) snort and double over, clutching at his ribs. Siwon thinks his friend is finding this a little too funny, but even he can't help a few more chuckles over the feminine man's stern expression.

A sigh, and the water gun is lowered. “The last people weren't intimidated either.”

“I think it's because you're doing it wrong,” Hangeng points out, breathing deeply as he fights not to laugh again.

“It's not like I had a real gun,” the man pouts, looking forlornly at his makeshift weapon.

Siwon goes back to packing water as Hangeng asks, “What were you even trying to do?”

The man blinks at him as if this were completely obvious, and says, “I was trying to steal your car, duh.”

“You couldn't just ask us for a ride?” Siwon zips up the backpack and stands, slinging it over his shoulder and looking down at the other man.

“Try saying that to the idiots who stole my car,” he mutters, but then he looks up at Siwon and Hangeng and gives a smile that has dimples blooming at the left corner of his mouth. “I'm Park Jungsu, by the way, but my friends call me Leeteuk.” He bows to them, and when he straightens watches them expectantly.

“Choi Siwon,” Siwon replies at last, “and this is Hangeng.” They both bow to Leeteuk, who stands for several seconds trying to make his mouth form the unfamiliar syllables of Hangeng's name.

“Don't hurt yourself,” Hangeng tells him. “You can use Hankyung instead, if it's easier for you. That's what everyone at University calls me.”

Leeteuk smiles again, and nods, trailing after them with a bounce in his step as they turn to leave. They're almost out the door when he lets out a small “Oh!” and runs back in, slipping behind the cash register and picking up a backpack, hurrying to catch up with them again.

Siwon presses the button to unlock the car and thinks that they're lucky this place is so abandoned. They haven't run into a single zombie yet, despite having been here for almost half an hour. His musings are cut short when Leeteuk lets out a high-pitched squeal and falls over, and Siwon has the pistol in his hand with the safety off before he even has time to register what caused the noise. Leeteuk is pushing himself up from the pavement, rubbing his nose and blushing from head to toe.

“Did I mention I'm kind of clumsy?”

 

They've avoided the cities—and subsequently the larger highways—in favor of traversing quieter roads between Gwangju and Yeonggwang. They stop for gas and food, and Kibum still hasn't spoken. Sungmin is beginning to wonder if there's something weird about this guy or if he's just naturally like that. Either way, he prefers Kibum's silence to Shindong's constant, rowdy jokes. He tries to act like he enjoys their company, for the sake of his mission, but it's turning out to be harder than he thought it would.

It doesn't take long to get what they need and get moving again, and Sungmin is grateful for that, at least. He doesn't know if he could stand one more of Shindong's, “And look at this. My grandmother used to make this for me all the time.”

Other than Shindong's stories about his grandparents, they don't talk about who they were before the infection. Which is good, because Sungmin hasn't come up with a completely perfect back story yet and it's not like he can tell them the truth. That would compromise his mission.

They head out again, and Sungmin almost hopes for silence before Shindong starts in on some trot song that's been popular lately, and then he just wishes for earplugs.

 

Leeteuk hasn't shut up for the last hour. Siwon is really tired of being regaled of Leeteuk's various adventures into things that turn out to be even more boring than he originally made them seem. It's starting to grate on Siwon's nerves, but he keeps his gentlemanly smile pressed on his face and focuses instead on driving and on the steadying hand on his knee. It only seems natural for Hangeng to be touching him now, and he wonders what he would do if the older man pulled away. Who knows, with the way his emotions are jumping today?

“So then I told him, 'Dude, that's my girlfriend, you can't just be all over her like that,' and--”

“Leeteuk,” Hangeng interrupts, not looking at him, “Kindly shut up for five minutes.”

Leeteuk does, only pouting a little bit. Apparently he's used to this kind of treatment. Instead he busies himself with something he pulls from his backpack, and Siwon shoots a grateful glance at Hangeng, who responds with a squeeze to his knee.

 

Thirty miles from Mokpo, they stop for another bathroom break and Sungmin offers to guard the car. Kibum comes back out first, mumbling something about Shindong looking for snacks, and Sungmin smirks at him. Glancing once at the door of the gas station, he crooks a finger and beckons Kibum closer. “Listen,” he murmurs, “I like you. You're quiet, you keep to yourself, and you're smart. I think you could be an asset to our cause, and I'd hate for a brilliant mind to go to waste. What do you say, join me?” He holds out a hand for Kibum to shake, and the other man stares at it disdainfully.

“You expect me to agree to this without even knowing what you're offering?” He snorts, “Either you're underestimating my intelligence, which means you don't value me as much as you claim, or this is a test.”

This is the most Sungmin has ever heard Kibum say. His smile turns absolutely evil. “You are a much better choice than I first anticipated. But there's not much time—if you were given the chance to cleanse the world of all the unnecessary, worthless beings in it, would you take it?”

Kibum looks back at the gas station, clearly thinking of the man inside that they're waiting for, and says, “Well, I have been awfully bored. And you're right, this world does need some cleansing.”

He shakes Sungmin's hand, matching his predatory smile. Sungmin reaches into the car for his backpack and pulls something out of it. “Watch and learn, then, Pretty Boy.” He steps away from the car, nunchaku whirling, just as Shindong comes out of the building.

Shindong marvels for a minute at Sungmin's skill with the weapons, until he realizes that the other man is getting closer. “What are you doing?” he asks fearfully, the bag of trail mix in his hands crinkling under his suddenly tight grip.

“Shin Donghee,” Sungmin intones gleefully, “The jury has spoken. You have been rejected as a citizen of our new world. Goodbye.”

Shindong goes to cover his face, but Sungmin slides one leg out to the side, bending the other so that he drops into a low crouch, and strikes out with his nunchaku in one smooth motion. He watches as Shindong's kneecap shatters, taking pleasure in seeing the pieces of bone poke out of the skin and the instant discoloration that occurs. The heavy man falls to the ground, and Sungmin slides gracefully back into a standing position, looking down at him in disdain, his nunchaku halted against his sides with his elbows.

Turning on his heel, he regards Kibum, who doesn't seem fazed by what he's done. “Still want to join me?”

 

The rest of the way to Mokpo, Sungmin shares the mission specifics with Kibum, and when they stop he hands over one of his precious Makarovs. “You'll take good care of this,” he entrusts, “and you will go out and make me proud. I've chosen you to inherit my second pistol, which means that in the eyes of my superiors you are one of us. Don't make me regret it.”

They locate the place that people are congregating—a large recreational building near the port—and enter separately. From now on, Kibum is on his own. He's received all the training that Sungmin deems he needs, and he's sure the kid will be fine. It's time to continue his own mission.

When there's an announcement that a ship will soon be leaving for China, Kibum gets up and joins those people choosing to go, not even looking in Sungmin's direction. _'Good boy,”_ Sungmin thinks as he watches the proceedings out of the corner of his eye, keeping his head down and trying to make himself look small and helpless. He'll wait, for now. There's still time, and he's not prepared to leave Korea just yet. There's much more work to be done here.

 

All they know at this point is that they're headed to the ocean, looking for a port, and it's really coincidence that they stumble over what people are calling a “Safe house.” Inside it certainly feels safe, surrounded by people who—though they're all scared out of their minds—are at the very least human, and hopefully will stay that way.

After finding out that ships are still going out of the port, and that there's one being prepared right now to take another load of passengers to China, Siwon and Hangeng hunker down with their packs and stay put to wait, while Leeteuk wanders and tries to make friends. They check on him occasionally, seeing him smiling at women and children, holding babies and chatting with adoring husbands. They're not sure why he does it, except that he's used to being the center of attention, and he's definitely that now, with everyone fawning over the man who's so beautiful he could be in an idol group.

When Siwon mentions this, Hangeng snorts in derision and comments, “I bet he can't even dance.” Hangeng has a thing about dancing. After all, he's a dance major. Siwon wonders why he's so hostile towards Leeteuk all of a sudden, but doesn't say it. Siwon also doesn't say that a lot of idol groups can't dance anyway, and that their choreographers make dances that only look hard to make them seem better than they are. It feels like a moot point, and Siwon doesn't feel like fighting with Hangeng over something that doesn't really matter. He'd rather hold on to the one real friend he's got now, thank you.

 

 _'It's disgusting,'_ Sungmin thinks, watching the crowd, _'how as soon as someone with a tiny bit of good looks and charisma walks in, people are falling all over themselves just to talk to him. This is why I'm here. This is why the world needs to be cleansed of such ignorant, stupid people.'_

But Sungmin does admit that the new persona he's been building for himself would be useful against this man. He thinks he has a plan for the next phase of his mission, and he stands up, putting a cutesy smile on his face, and approaches the man who is currently the center of everyone's attention. “Noona~” he coos in the highest, most adorable voice he can manage, “You're so pretty. Want me to rub your shoulders?”

Everyone turns towards him, and there is no mistaking who he's addressing. Still the man points to himself and asks, “Are you talking to me?”

Sungmin increases the dose of sugar in his smile and comes right up to him, running a hand from the man's shoulder to his elbow teasingly. “Oh Noona, you're silly! Of course I'm talking to you. Do you see anyone else in this room who's as pretty as you?”

The man looks around as if to point one out, but Sungmin stops him with gentle fingers on his chin. “Now Noona, I don't want you looking at anyone but me from now on.”

The man backs away, his hands up as if to ward Sungmin off. “I'm sorry, you must have misunderstood something. I'm a man.”

Sungmin feigns surprise and hurries to apologize, laying the compliments on thick, and after that it's as easy as killing a man with a bow and arrow from five hundred feet away. The man is like putty in his hands, and Sungmin quickly coaxes all the information he wants out of him and gets an invitation to meet his friends without Leeteuk—for that's his name—even realizing that it wasn't his idea in the first place. The onlookers have trickled away by this point, and it's easy to make their way over to where two young men sit, watching them bemusedly.

 

Siwon and Hangeng had watched the exchange between the two men, laughing at their companion's distress, and now they sit looking up at the two, being introduced to Sungmin by a very excited Leeteuk, who is apparently ecstatic about having made a new friend.

Hangeng lets the previous laughter show in his eyes, slightly making fun of them, though Siwon is the only one who can tell. Sungmin and Leeteuk just chatter on, blissfully unaware of the teasing going on behind their backs.

 

The ship is nearly prepared for passengers, but the announcer informs them that anyone who has a car to bring along should take it to the dock now and have it loaded. Siwon stands and looks to Hangeng. “Do you want to just stay here, Ge?” he asks, half-hoping that he'll say no.

His prayer is answered as Hangeng stands, sword in hand, and shakes his head minutely. “They'll be fine here on their own. I should come with you or you'll get yourself in trouble again.”

Siwon doesn't know what he means by that, since he's more than capable of taking care of himself, but he's just happy that Hangeng is coming along. They go get their car and join the short caravan that's heading down the street to the docks to be loaded. Once they've driven onto the platform, they have to get out and walk back to the safe house, keeping a careful eye on their surroundings.

“I don't trust him,” Hangeng murmurs, checking that there's no one listening.

“Who? Leeteuk-hyung?” Siwon asks, raising an eyebrow.

“No, I'm pretty sure that man couldn't hurt anyone even if he did have a weapon,” Hangeng replies, shaking his head, “It's Sungmin. He has a weird aura. There's something not right about him.” He's holding himself stiffly, his back straight as an arrow.

Siwon sighs and runs a hand gently down Hangeng's spine, willing him to calm down. “This wouldn't have anything to do with the way he was interacting with Leeteuk-hyung, would it?”

Hangeng blinks, and they step inside the safe house, Siwon steering them towards the bathrooms so that they can finish their conversation in a semi-private setting.

“I know they're flirting, and that you like Leeteuk-hyung, but that's no reason to distrust Sungmin-hyung. He's a nice guy.”

“You are so oblivious,” Hangeng mutters, and before Siwon can ask what he's talking about he's being pushed into a wall and Hangeng's lips are against his and...this feels kind of nice. He wraps his arms around Hangeng and kisses back, just letting himself feel. When they finally separate, Hangeng presses his forehead to Siwon's and stares into his eyes. “You know how long I've wanted to do that?” he pants, smiling stupidly.

Siwon strokes a hand through Hangeng's hair and guesses, “Probably a lot longer than we've been killing zombies.”

Hangeng groans and drops his head to Siwon's broad shoulder. “You are so good at ruining the mood. You know, if you weren't such a goody-two-shoes Christian I probably would have fucked you by now.”

Siwon swallows at the implication, at Hangeng's language, and then finally at the reminder of everything he's ever been taught. He studies Hangeng, strokes his hair again and runs his other hand from Hangeng's waist to his hip, and just _feels_. He feels how well they fit together, and how right this all seems, and he wonders how God could have ever declared this a bad thing. “I think,” he murmurs, “that at this point Jesus would be glad I have someone to love. I don't think he'll care what gender you are.”

Hangeng snorts into his neck, and then starts kissing it. He laves it with his tongue and nips it with his teeth, and by the time Siwon has the presence of mind to stop him he knows he'll probably have several hickeys later. He pulls away regretfully, insisting, “I am not having sex with you in a hallway.”

So he drags Hangeng into the restroom instead.

 

When they return to the main room, just in time to hear someone announce over the loudspeaker that the ship is now beginning to board, they've managed to mostly put themselves back together. Hangeng's hair is still sticking up in that one place where Siwon kept pulling it, and he reaches out surreptitiously and tries to flatten it down, which makes Hangeng turn and smile at him. They're about to kiss—again, damn he loves Hangeng's kisses—but Leeteuk interrupts at exactly the wrong moment, and Siwon lets his hand drop.

“Where were you guys? It's time to go.” Leeteuk and Sungmin hand them their bags, and they all join the flow of people reaching for safety. Mostly hidden by the crowd, Siwon and Hangeng let their hands slip into each other, twining together.

The walk to the ship is short, less than half a block, and with the amount of people that are around them there's really nothing to worry about. Siwon clutches at the handle of the gun inside his sweatshirt pocket with his free hand anyway, the other still firmly held in Hangeng's. Leeteuk and Sungmin don't seem to notice, and they continue to chat away like nothing is wrong and they've been best friends forever, instead of for the past two hours.

Hangeng tugs Siwon's hand and pulls them a little way back from the other two, and then he leans close, speaking in a bare whisper. “Whatever you do, don't let that guy fool you. There's something not right about him, Siwon.”

“Okay,” Siwon replies just as softly. “I trust you. If you think he's bad news, then I'll watch out for him.”

Hangeng sags a little in relief and squeezes Siwon's fingers tight. “Thank you. I wish I had more reason to give you, but it's just a feeling.”

“Ge, I love you. All I want is to make you happy. If that means avoiding Sungmin, I'll do it gladly.” Siwon smiles widely, boyish dimples appearing on his cheeks, and Hangeng has to visibly restrain himself from stopping right there in the street and kissing him.

“Oh, Siwon. You have no idea how long I've waited to hear you say that.” He walks closer so that their shoulders are brushing, and little tingles race up Siwon's spine from the contact. “I love you too.”

Both their smiles are wide as they get signed in and board the boat, and soon enough Leeteuk hops up to them and declares, “Sungmin found us a great spot. You should come see.”

Siwon looks to Hangeng, giving him control, and Hangeng says, “That's great, Leeteuk, but Siwon and I would like to find our own place, if you don't mind.”

Leeteuk's face falls, but he pats Hangeng's shoulder understandingly. “Alright then, Hankyung. We'll see you guys later, okay?”

They nod at him, then set about finding a place to sleep. It's not a long trip, but it has been a long night, and they want the break while they can have it.

 

A scant few hours later, the boat pulls into a dock in Weihai, China, and they find out that conditions are not much better here. When they're warned of the complete destruction of Beijing Hangeng's hand goes tight around Siwon's elbow, and Siwon pulls Hangeng close and doesn't care who sees.

“It's estimated that less than a thousand people escaped the attacks,” the announcer informs them. “Beijing is not safe, and should be avoided at all costs.” He goes on to talk about the status of Shanghai, Nanjing, and a few of the other major cities, but Siwon and Hangeng have stopped listening.

“Mama,” Hangeng whispers brokenly, and Siwon lets Hangeng bury his face in Siwon's shoulder, and wraps strong arms around him as he cries.

“Han Mama is a fighter, Ge,” Siwon murmurs. “I'll bet you she stood up against the zombies with a wok and a ladle and made it out unscathed.”

Hangeng manages a wet chuckle, but he knows that Siwon is only trying to comfort him, and doesn't truly believe his own words. He takes solace in the fact that Siwon knows what he is going through...as they are both orphans now.

The warnings over with, they start unloading the ship. The sun is high in the sky, and there is no sign of any zombies around. Siwon hopes that it stays that way. Their car is one of the first off, and they head over to it and meet Leeteuk and Sungmin again on the way. Leeteuk looks sheepishly at them and asks, “Is it okay if we ride with you guys? Neither of us has a car.”

Siwon blinks at them and asks, “How did Sungmin-hyung get to the safe house without a car?”

Sungmin shrugs. “I live in Mokpo. When the zombies attacked, I ran. It was coincidence that I found the safe house at all.”

Hangeng watches him suspiciously, being careful not to show too much on his face. “You don't have an accent,” he points out. “I know some people from Mokpo. The accent is pretty unmistakable.”

A sigh and a wide smile. “You caught me.” Sungmin spreads his arms in a gesture of surrender. “I used to live in Cheongju, but I got a job offer in Mokpo a few months ago and moved.”

“Whatever,” Hangeng grouses, crossing his arms stubbornly. “Isn't there anyone else you can hitch a ride with?”

At that exact moment there is an explosion on the ship. People begin screaming and running, but the blast seems to have made a hole in the hull and the ship is rapidly sinking. A second, smaller explosion follows the first, and Sungmin looks back at Hangeng, who is still staring at the wreckage and havoc. “I'm thinking that the answer might be no,” he says sweetly. Hangeng scowls at him and turns to get in the car without saying another word. They all take that as approval and pile in, aiming to get as far away from this nightmare as possible.

Too bad the nightmare is following them.

 

As they drive they realize that they have no idea where they're going. _Away_ doesn't seem adequate, and all Siwon can think of is that he's tired. He's so tired and the world has gone to hell and nowhere is safe, so why is he bothering to try? He should just jump outside, let a zombie eat him and join Mother and Father in heaven.

Hangeng's hand settles itself on his knee, a reassuring weight, and suddenly the world has substance again. Siwon takes in a shaky breath and listens as Sungmin proposes his idea.

“We cross China, avoid all the major cities, and maybe locate a place where we can start a safe house. Help other people who need it, you know?” His eyes are bright with enthusiasm, and he leans against the back of Hangeng's seat in earnest.

“No,” Hangeng replies in an authoritative voice, stroking the sword in his lap in a manner that Siwon can only describe as menacing. “We're getting as far as we can from the zombies, and god willing we keep running until this nightmare is over. You can do whatever you want, but I'm not putting Siwon in danger.”

“How would running a safe house be _dangerous_?” Sungmin asks scathingly, but all he gets in response is a tight glare from Hangeng, and he wisely shuts his mouth.

Silence reigns throughout the car a for a few minutes, until Siwon squints at a road sign up ahead and curses softly, “How do we get off this _damned_ peninsula?”

Hangeng laughs at him, mostly at the oddity of his using a swear word of any kind, and points out the road he needs to take. They wind through half-destroyed streets and Hangeng murmurs, “I hope we can get out into the country by dark.”

Siwon thinks he hears one of the men in the back mutter, “Fool,” but decides after a moment that it is his imagination.

 

They do get out of the city by dark, and even manage to find some fuel along the way. They've decided to head sort of vaguely northward, and other than that they have no plan. They're not sure what they'll find to the north, except probably more zombies, but there is always the hope that they'll be able to get out of the country and find someplace that is still safe. Siwon doesn't let the worries bother him for now, and just focuses on driving.

Hangeng forces him to switch places with him after a while, and insists that Siwon rest. Siwon's not sure he can, but he trusts Hangeng's driving, and with his hand on Hangeng's knee he drifts into a fitful sleep.

 

_Hangeng is with him, and Heechul-hyung. Siwon looks around and realizes that he is on his old college campus. Heechul has just said something funny, and they all laugh, including Siwon, though he doesn't remember what was said. Siwon turns to Heechul and attempts to ask him what is going on, but instead what comes out of his mouth is, “Should we go have barbecue tonight, Hyung?”_

_Heechul shakes his head. “I'm on a diet. Let's go drinking instead.”_

_On Heechul's other side, Hangeng raises an eyebrow at this and turns his amused expression to Siwon, who can only shrug at him. While Siwon is looking at Hangeng, Heechul goes digging in his bag, and when he finds what he's looking for he says, “On second thought, I don't think you're going to be able to go drinking.” He lifts the pistol and points it at Siwon, his face thoughtful. “I've never shot a friend before,” he muses, and then he pulls the trigger._

_There is blinding pain, and Siwon sinks into darkness._

 

He wakes up sweating, his left hand clenching so tightly on Hangeng's knee that he is hissing with pain. Siwon's breath comes in short, painful pants, and he realizes that his other hand has a white-knuckled grip on the handle of the gun. It is the same gun that Heechul held in his dream, the same gun that he used to shoot Siwon.

Siwon knows that it was only a dream, but it still disturbs him that he could have gotten these mental images in the first place. He isn't sure what to do, but he takes a few deep breaths and loosens both his hands. Hangeng stops hissing and murmurs, “What's wrong?”

Siwon shakes his head, rubs Hangeng's leg reassuringly, and replies, “It's nothing. Just a bad dream.” He doesn't know how to explain to Hangeng what he just saw, or even if he wants to. Heechul was their friend, and Siwon wants to believe that Heechul would never hurt either of them.

 

They've decided to shoot for Mongolia. It's a long shot, assuming they even manage to get into the country, and they're not sure what conditions are like there. It's the best they can hope for at the moment, and Siwon just keeps praying that no matter what happens, he and Hangeng get out of it safely.

They stop to refuel near Zibo, and Leeteuk and Sungmin go inside to look for food. Siwon is taking the nozzle from the car and replacing it on its hook when he feels Hangeng tense up beside him and there is the smooth, ringing slide of metal against wood. Following that there is a groan, and Siwon turns around lightning-quick and has the gun in his hand, already aiming in the direction of the sound, when Hangeng lets out a fierce battle cry and launches himself towards the zombie.

Siwon sees the trap just as it springs. Either the zombies are smarter than he thinks, or they got extremely lucky, because they've managed to get Hangeng surrounded by using the first as bait, the others stepping out of the shadows as soon as he was within range.

Siwon stands right where he is, levels the gun, and fires three careful shots just as Hangeng's sword swings, catching the forth zombie by the neck and sending it to its own merciful demise. Hangeng turns, sees Siwon's handy gun work, and comments, “You're getting better at that.” Then as an afterthought he adds, “We should probably find a place to get some more ammunition for you. That's not going to last forever.”

Siwon nods, and then both look to see where Sungmin and Leeteuk have gotten to, and realize that both the other men are standing in the gas station's doorway with incredulous looks on their faces.

“Where did you learn to shoot a gun like that?” Leeteuk asks in awe, looking at Siwon with something approaching hero worship.

Siwon blinks. “Um...against zombies...?”

Sungmin interrupts before Leeteuk says anything else stupid. “Good job saving our butts, guys. Man, Leeteuk-hyung and I would probably be dead without you.”

Siwon and Hangeng accept the praise gracefully and urge them all back into the car. It's time to get on the road again.

 

Sungmin has been watching him. At first Siwon thought he was imagining the constant feeling of eyes on his back, but after nearly sixteen hours and three more stops he has to admit that Sungmin is definitely watching him. The only thing he can't figure out is why.

But Sungmin doesn't seem to have any plans to approach him, or even any plans at all. He doesn't seem malevolent, only thoughtful, and Siwon isn't sure what that means. Normally he would ask Hangeng, but he can't seem to get him alone—primarily because Sungmin has taken to following him everywhere when they're not in the car.

Siwon tries to stay calm and come up with a reasonable explanation for Sungmin's sudden fascination in him, but he's drawing a blank and that's even more disconcerting than the eyes on his back. Hangeng gets in behind the wheel after their latest pit stop and Siwon reassures himself by squeezing Hangeng's knee. Everything will be fine as long as they're together.

 

That damned Chinese is getting in his way. Sungmin had a plan, and he thought he was doing well, but then he discovered that the big idiot had a Makarov and suddenly everything went to pot. It could just be a coincidence, but Sungmin doesn't think so. Siwon is too good with that gun not to have training. Which means he has to figure out how to split from this group as soon as possible without looking suspicious.

Rule number one was that you never interfered with another agent's mission. If Sungmin had known, or had recognized Siwon from training, then he never would have joined their party in the first place. But maybe Siwon had been at a different facility, or he had been like Kibum, given a second pistol, and maybe taught a little more than Sungmin had bothered with Kibum.

He spares a moment to wonder how his protégé is doing on his own mission, and then decides it doesn't really matter to him whether Kim Kibum lives or dies. If he does well on the mission, then all the better for their cause. Otherwise Sungmin really can't bring himself to care.

They are nearing Datong, and Sungmin is getting increasingly frustrated. He just needs to talk to Siwon alone for a moment, and see if he really is an agent. But that stupid Chinese never leaves Siwon's side. The most disgusting thing about it is that Sungmin can see the blatant love on both their faces, and he can't even tell if Siwon is faking it. Another reason to talk to him. You never get involved with targets, it's just asking for disaster.

Finally, at a small town called Yanggao, where they stop to refuel, Siwon seems to sense that Sungmin needs to talk to him and sends Hangeng inside with Leeteuk. For several moments Siwon pretends that nothing is amiss, getting the gas nozzle in the car's tank, then he leans against the side of the vehicle and eyes Sungmin. “What's wrong, Hyung? You keep staring at me.”

 _“What the hell do you think you're doing?”_ Sungmin snaps softly at him in Russian, watching his reaction.

Siwon scrunches his face up in confusion. “I have no idea what you just said, Hyung. What language was that?”

Sungmin huffs out his frustration. Either Siwon is playing the fool, or he really doesn't understand, which could mean two things. “May I see your gun?” Sungmin asks in Korean, eyes plaintive.

Siwon hesitates for several moments, then finally pulls the weapon from his sweatshirt pocket and holds it out handle-first to Sungmin, who takes it. He releases the ammo clip and peers inside the chamber for a few seconds, then slams it back in place. “Where did you get this?” he demands, holding the gun by the barrel and brandishing it angrily.

“Calm down, Hyung!” Siwon pleads. “I got it from a friend.”

Sungmin bristles. “Someone gave it to you but didn't even explain what it means?”

Siwon looks worried, and rightly so, Sungmin realizes, loosening his white-knuckled grip and handing the gun back to Siwon. “I don't know what you're talking about. We only...a friend left this for me, and that's all I know. I'm not even sure if he's still alive.”

“Who was this friend?” Sungmin needs to know. He's going to report him for misconduct and make sure that he gets a dishonorable discharge.

“His name was Kim Heechul.”

Suddenly everything that Sungmin knows is thrown on its side. _The_ Kim Heechul had given an official pistol to an amateur who knew nothing of the organization or the mission, and he had disappeared before training him. Sungmin had known that everyone considered Kim Heechul slightly mad, but he'd never thought that such a highly-trained and skilled agent would be so careless.

Sungmin is about to say more, about to begin explaining what they have to do, when the Chinese and the woman come back and Sungmin has no choice but to let the matter drop.

 

Four hours later, Siwon is still confused what exactly Sungmin was going on about. Nothing the older man said made sense, and the way he'd gone still at Heechul's name is wreaking havoc in Siwon's thoughts. It was as if Sungmin had recognized it, had had a reason to be...fearful, almost, of Heechul.

Siwon just can't wrap his head around the encounter, and while he would tell Hangeng, he isn't sure what his lover will think of it either, and is hesitant to say anything about it, though Hangeng is shooting him curious looks every few seconds as they drive.

Sungmin is stewing in the back seat, his arms crossed and a pout across his face. Siwon isn't sure what to think about that, either, but he has a feeling that it's masking something else, and somehow he has a feeling that it's not going to be good.

He's right.

 

They're nearly to the Mongolian border and they stop for food. Siwon and Hangeng go inside to “shop” while Sungmin and Leeteuk guard the car, and when they come out Leeteuk is gone. “Hyung,” Siwon asks cautiously, “Where did Leeteuk-hyung go?”

Sungmin's smirk is chilling, and he flips long bangs out of his eyes to stare at them carefully over the car. “He wandered off. He'll be back.”

Hangeng crosses his arms. “That idiot will get himself killed. We should go look for him.”

Sungmin's smirk grows. “That won't be necessary.” He lifts a gun (they're identical, and Siwon's hand goes into his pocket to check for his own pistol, but it's there) and shoots Hangeng through the heart before Siwon can react. Hangeng is dead before his body hits the ground, his eyes glassy, and Siwon can spare only a tiny thought that at least he didn't suffer. He is too busy picking up Hangeng's sword and charging at Sungmin, the gun in his pocket completely forgotten in a fit of pain and rage.

Sungmin only smirks at him and deftly dodges his attacks, and waits for Siwon to tire himself out. Something else comes before that, though, as they fight their way around the side of the building and Siwon realizes what really happened to Leeteuk.

Leeteuk is lying on his side next to the wall, unable to move or speak. The latter because there is a rough cloth gag shoved in his mouth, the former because every bone in his arms and legs is broken. Siwon sees the way each of Leeteuk's fingers is bent backwards at an impossible angle, and his eyes close in sympathy for a moment. At least Hangeng had died quickly.

Instead of looking directly at Sungmin, Siwon tracks him in his peripherals and stares resolutely at the tears streaming down Leeteuk's face. “ _Why are you doing this?_ ” Siwon demands, feeling his own tears for the first time. His face is drenched in them.

Sungmin's voice is haughty, superior. “Because the world must be cleansed of the inferior. I am only doing my master's bidding.”

“Who would order something like this? Why would you take them away from me!”

Sungmin does not pity him. “Love is for the weak, Siwon. Heechul saw something in you, and so you have been spared. But that does not mean that I will allow you to be an incompetent agent. Heechul is not in charge of the world, no matter what he may think. So you have two choices, Siwon. You can join me, and together we can rid the world of filth, or you can deny me, and I will kill you right now.” He holds the gun up, and Siwon knows that it will be a perfect head shot, one bullet between the eyes and then darkness.

He should be afraid, should beg Sungmin not to kill him. He should be even more scared of continuing in a world without Hangeng, but suddenly he remembers something that Heechul-hyung told him, a long time ago.

 _“You know what I see in you, Siwon? I see_ promise _. Someday you'll be perfect, a god. All you have to do is follow me. I'll make you great someday, Siwon. I'll help you exceed everyone's expectations, and then we can rule the world together.”_

At the time, Siwon had thought Heechul was drunk, or doing drugs. Or that he hadn't had enough sleep and was delirious. But now he wonders if there wasn't something more that Heechul had been trying to tell him. Siwon suddenly wants to know. Heechul is the only one of Siwon's loved ones left, and though Siwon isn't even sure if Heechul is still alive, he's willing to hope. He has nothing else to live for. Siwon realizes that there is only one way for him to search for Heechul, and only one way that he will ever get his answers.

“Alright,” Siwon says, his voice more steady than he expected it to be, “I'll join you.”

They leave Leeteuk and Hangeng there and drive away in Siwon's car. It's just the two of them now, and Siwon can't bring himself to be happy about that.

 


End file.
